Birmingham â€“ A colourful, modern city

Birmingham, a city of one million residents, is the second largest city in Great Britain, following London. It is an important industrial centre, but is increasingly becoming a modern service and cultural centre. This development has transformed Birmingham's cityscape tremendously over the last decade. Birmingham has become a modern metropolis and offers the best shopping in Great Britain, except for in London's West End. And not only for this reason has this city become a great visitor attraction.

A wide variety of ethnic groupsBirmingham is colourful: a large percentage of the population has origins in former British colonies such as India, Pakistan, the Caribbean and Ireland. In this way, the city is influenced the 150,000 residents from Kashmir and as well as the many Rastafarians. Birmingham also hosts the world's third largest St. Patrick's Day Parade (after Dublin and New York).

Going out in BirminghamYou will find a great many cafés, bars and restaurants, particularly in the area around St Paulâ€™s Square in the Jewellery Quarter. St. Paul's Square is the last remaining intact Georgian style square in Birmingham. Another lively quarter for night life is the Chinese Quarter.

Art and cultureCulture fans will enjoy the Barber Institute of Fine Arts, an art museum with works by Van Gogh, Rodin, Picasso and Monet. Especially impressive are also the library and the Central Museum.